Only the Darkest Rose can Hurt You
by 96thPerson
Summary: Amy Rose is an internationally acclaimed thief. Sonic is in charge of the department hunting her down. But Blaze's partner goes missing around the same time a new recruit shows up, and because he's a total dick, he's obviously Rose's inside man, right?
1. Prologues are Lovely

XD Three AM Idea. I plan to have twenty one chapters XDDD So, yeah. I should be working on like, a million and two other things, but I'm not. I'm currently putting FfD on hiatus, but only for a short time until I finish this one. It's just going to be for the next two months, cuz i have a PLAAANN. I feel like I should be colon-apostrophy-D-ing right now... Man, Heres to hoping this works...

Warnings: Genderbenders, slight AU, Sonadow, and some OOCness... I imagined them as humans, but I'm going to say that you can shift it up so you can either see them as humans or furies. However you want to. Also, if you're not okay with genderbending, just shift up "her" to "him..." You can still read it, I hope... There is also cursing, and maybe some blood, but not enough to make you toss your cookies.

Disclaimer: Do I look like someone who works at SEGA, SonicTeam, or 4Kidz? Do I look like I'm Japanese? Do I look like enough of a genius to create the Sonic Franchise? Didn't think so.

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><p>"It is time."<p>

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><p>You know that feeling you get, when you're running really fast? You know, the wind through your hair and how you hit the ground so lightly it feels like you're flying, and then when you jump from that building and into a dumpster and get back up and run all over again ('round here that happens allot due to the multi-level apartments that actually look allot like pueblos)? That feeling is bliss. I love that feeling, it's like a natural high. I'm always running, always fast on my feet. But nevermind that. Imagine that feeling. Just think. Can you feel it? Good... Now, imagine yourself running and running with your best friend on your back, and you're laughing and happy. See that fat guy? The one in red? With the beady little eyes hidden by sunglasses, and the red hair, in that red suit... He's a bit of a a fatass... Yeah. So he's stopped you, and he's staring down on you. And you're getting ready to run again when he grabs you and throws you into a car, then takes you to his house and gives you to his maids to wash you up.<p>

Every time I remember the first time I met my boss, I just want to wring his fat neck. He's the reason I'm stuck on the case. Because I made a deal... If I caught Rose, I could get away from Dr. Ivo Robotnik... My promise has kept me here.

I've been stuck here, on this case with my team of three for the last year and a half. Four relocations, two terminal switches, and one eviction, and we've finally traced Rose to here.

Funny enough, it's been easier than I thought. She's been dropping clues to here up till now. We're so close, it's maddening... But this is it. We're stuck in... Some place, I actually don't know where, but all of our work has led to this. Soon, this case will be over, and then I can finally get back to my life, back to that blissful feeling...

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><p><em>Little did our protagonist know... This would be the hardest trial of her life.<em>

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><p>JUST THE PROLOGUE. I will shoot myself if this isn't done in two moths... Expect regular weekly updates... Hopefully... XD Sorry, I'm a bit out of it, I hit my head while ice skating today, so I drank a mocha and and am kinda crashing. But hey, I had a pretty good day! Me and Natsu hit the jackpot this year after completing two video games. I hope you all had a good x-mas! See ya in the next three chapters!<p>

Oh man do I love page breaks...


	2. Introductions

I lied. I'm so sorry, all that deadline crap? Fuck it. There is no way I will follow it. I'm just gonna update as I go, since I'm preoccupied playing Kelpsword (Korean Elsword) right now XD For my inactivity, three chapters and a new story.

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><p>"That shady old fortune teller... We've got her this time! Move out!"<p>

Sonic crouched with her sniper riffle, watching for the bat-like hang glider of the ninth most wanted person in this area. She had gotten away twice, but they were going to get her this time.

"Knuckles. Come in."

"I'm here."

"You see her?"

"Not yet. I'll yell if I do."

"Okay. We're gonna get her tonight, and then chillidogs are on me."

Sonic tensed, readying her trigger finger. She breathed, once, twice...

There was a yell from her earpiece, and her eyes immediately shot up, her riffle following. Nothing. Sonic was about to call false alarm, when two shots were fired and a black figure zoomed overhead. The agent barely had time to get another six shots into the hang glider, before it crash landed on a parking lot-like roof. "Sonic! I'm going after her!"

"Okay, She's on roof F-17, the fastest way there is to jump. C'mon!"

The bluenette and the redhead jumped across three roofs, following a woman with white hair in a black, tight fitting robe that flared out at the bottom. The two agents jumped down from the roofs to a second level of them. They were currently on the second level of houses, their town looking like one giant village. The houses were like pueblos, except they were all just apartment buildings, the first level being shops and the street level. "Knux! She's gonna jump!"

"Got it. Run for it, I'll block 'er off!" Knuckles yelled. She jumped down another level to the street, her fall being cushioned by a dumpster as Sonic sped up. She had great stamina and could run very quickly due to her training and previous life on the streets. So did Knuckles, but that was another story.

As she ran, the woman looked behind her. She smirked and spread out her arms, metal and cloth unfolding from her back. "Oh no you don't..."

The bluenette jumped her, grabbing her by the back and pushing her off the roof. They fell a story down, with no soft landing. One of the wings was in good enough shape to slow their landing, but it was still rough.

The white haired woman was the first to get up, attempting to refold the wings, but to no avail. Sonic grinned up at her. "I'd have stayed down if I were you."

"Why? It's not like some random government agent is going to jump me from behind and arrest me or anything." The woman said. "I mean seriously? That is so cliche."

"You sure about that?" Sonic asked."I mean, the cliche stuff happens the most, right?" Why the hell was Knuckles walking?

"Of course it does! That's why it's clich-Ah!"

The redhead agent jumped her from behind and shoved her to the floor, pinning her arms behind her back.

"You're under arrest!" Knuckles yelled, holding the woman's arms behind her back.

"How did you know that was going to happen?" The woman yelled, struggling as she was cuffed.

"It's cliche, right? Obviously you saw it coming too?" Sonic asked, getting up and adjusting the strap on her riffle.

"..." The woman was silent, a light blush covering her face.

"And here I thought you were a fortune teller." the bluenette teased, hoisting her up.

"Man, that was annoying!" Sonic mumbled as their orders came.

"I know! That man gets worse and worse as the years go by." Knuckles complained, cracking her neck. "Thank you, ma'am."

The lady nodded, and placed the plates down. "Anything else?"

"Nah, this is good. Thank you." Sonic replied, and dug in. "At least he didn't make us write a full report this time..."

"Hm. Still though, that seemed too easy. I feel like something is off..." Knuckles said, an almost worried look crossing her face as she glanced out the window.

"Oh, yeah, you would know. It's not like Tails was gone this time, at least she could tip us off where the damned bat was..." Sonic mumbled, her mouth half full.

"That's just it. How did Tails know where she was so easily?"

"The same way you and I did." Sonic cut her friend off. "Really, Knux, you're just being paranoid. Lets forget about it for now, okay? Just enjoy your food."

"Oh, Sonic, Knuckles, welcome back. How was the mission?" A purple-haired woman asked.

"Oh, hey Wave. It was fine. Knux here is being paranoid that it was too easy-"

"I'M NOT BEING PARANOID, IT WAS!" Knuckles yelled, cutting her friend off. "AND DON'T CALL ME 'KNUX' WHILE WORKING, DAMMIT!"

"Quiet, Knuckie, you're being too loud. Anyway, we're here to finish our reports. We'll need to borrow the infirmary computers, have you seen Jet?" Sonic asked, the red-head still fuming behind her.

Wave blinked. "That bird-brain? Oh, I last saw him running to get coffee. The infirmary is locked, but I can let you in."

"This early? Who bribed him?" Sonic asked. "Well, thanks Wave, we'll be in and out in a jiffy. C'mon, Knux, stop scaring the newbies."

As the bluenette and her two friends walked off laughing and yelling at each other, a noirette watched them. He growled under his breath and turned on his heel, quickly leaving the corridor and down the hall to his new office.


	3. A Little In

"Phew! Thanks for the keys, Wave." Sonic sighed, ejecting the flash drive and exiting the window.

"Dammit, Sonic, why do you keep using MY computers? Can't you use the ones in your office?" Jet huffed, tapping his foot impatiently. The crisp white lab coat the green-haired man always wore looked like it has just been washed.

"Oh, I like watching your reaction to us always coming in here. Thanks for the coffee, by the way, what shop did you get it at?" Sonic said, spinning the flash drive as she walked out. Knuckles followed, tossing her cup to Jet over her shoulder. He fumbled to catch it.

"At that new Steep's place, wh- Wait, Wave, where did my cup go?" Jet asked, glancing at the empty cup in his hand.

"Eh? Oh, you didn't see Sonic drinking it?" Wave asked, cocking her head and putting on her innocent face.

"Wha- She drank my coffe- Why didn't you say anything?" Jet yelled. Wave merely chuckled. "That's the second time this week!"

"Sonic's right, your reactions are funny."

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><p>"So, we turned in the flash drives, and managed to not get our asses handed to us again by an old man..." Sonic mumbled, spinning her pen on her desk. "What else do we have to do?"<p>

"Well, we need to check in with Tails, and then go meet up with the new members of our crew." Knuckles replied, swishing her water. She adjusted her cheek on her arm, which was resting on the back of the chair as she straddled it, and spun herself around in it.

"Well, we don't have to meet them till around eleven, and it's ten fifteen or so now... We should go see Tails." Sonic said, attempting to doodle something on her arm, possibly a fat pony falling on her boss.

"Well, lets get going, we only need to walk down the hall to the conference room." Knuckles said. "Man, I hate sitting around like this all day. I've got the patience to do it, but damn..."

"You're telling me." Sonic mumbled as she stood, and then stretched herself. "I'd give anything to be back where we came from."

"You would say that." The red-head replied as they exited the small room. "But to be honest, I kinda like being here more, but what I'd give for a normal job!"

"Hey, that's a good point. At least the time we get out is exciting." Sonic mocked, grinning as they opened the door to the conference room where Tails was waiting.

She jumped and shut off the holographic com system, Sonic catching a glimpse of black and red from the screen. "Oh, hey Sonic! Sorry, I was just catching up on some files from a friend at a different station. Have you met the new members yet?"

Tails was a small girl, but what she lacked in physical strength was made up for by her pure mental abilities. She had blond hair, that was constantly covered by a brown ushanka, with goggles that she tended to use when working on her mechanics. Seeing as she rarely did any work on the field, she bypassed the dresscode, choosing to wear a white tank top and a tan jumpsuit, tied at her waist. She constantly carried a tablet with her, though she was usually at a computer.

"No, not yet. I was hoping they'd be with you." Sonic said.

"Mmm, well, one is..." Tails shrugged, and stepped to the side. "Sonic, Knuckles, this is Blaze."

A lilac haired woman in a dark purple coat and mostly black stepped out of her seat, snapping her phone closed. "Good morning. I hope to get to know you both very well-" Blaze's eyes suddenly widened, and then narrowed to slits again. She stared past Sonic to Knuckles, who jumped back and pointed an accusing finger at her. "YOU!" They both yelled at the same time.

"You're that cat-bitch from the subway!" Knuckles screamed. She pressed her arm and then flicked her wrist, claws extending from under her sleeve.

"Well, I never expected to see you again, you knuckle-headed brat!" Blaze hissed venomously, snagging a long case from the end of the table and pulling a full-blown rapier out of it.

"Oh, god! Calm down ladies!" Sonic yelled, jumping to block a growling, glowering Knuckles from charging. Tails rested a hand on Blaze's shoulder and pushed her hand down to her side. "Just put the weapons away guys..."

Blaze glared once more, before swishing her heir to the side and turning. "Well then, this is unfortunate. I'll have to change my devision."

"Hey, just 'cause Knuckles can be an annoying, stubborn, ass doesn't mean that she isn't a great person. Once you get to know her, she's actually really nice. Just give her a chance." Sonic said. Blaze glanced at her sidelong.

"Well, I suppose I could try... Who are you?" She asked, staring Sonic in the eyes.

"My name is Sonic. I'm the designated leader of this division." Sonic smiled, glad that she couldat least try to get to know the new girl. "You're our new demolitions expert, right?"

"Yeah. It's nice to make your acquaintance, Miss Sonic." Blaze said solemnly. Sonic chuckled nervously. "N-no need to be so formal. You can loosen up a bit around here-"

"But isn't that the fault of her last station?" a silky smooth voice asked. The entire group whipped around to se a black and red haired man standing in the door. He had multiple piercings and was in all black, the collar of his coat lined in white faux fur. Blaze hissed. "That has nothing to do with-"

"Oh, but you know it does, don't you. It's why you were transfered and why your partner's gone missing..." He started again, slowly advancing towards her. Her previous air of pride and power disintegrated under his cold stare. "It's why you pity yourself and don't want to work with people you don't consider of being good partners, isn't that right?"

"Shut up! Silver has nothing to do with this! And neither do you!" Blaze yelled. Sonic could see she was on the edge of tears, did this "Silver" mean that much to her?

"Back off!" Sonic barked at him. The man turned his cold, red eyes on her and she glared back. "Who are you anyway?"

"Shadow." He replied curtly. "Firearms expert."

"Well then, Shadow," Sonic enunciated his name with anger, "If you're our new team mate, you'll have to calm yourself down and not be such a dick."

"Great leader you are." He snapped back.

Sonic felt herself snap slightly, but held herself back from trying to break his face. "Nice to meet you too!"

Knuckles finally snapped her blades back into place on her arm, and Tails merely sighed. "Well, everyone's gotten to know each other..."

And then the alarm blared.

"Sonic! Let's roll!" Knuckles called, grabbing her bag and coat from by the door. Sonic followed suit, grabbing her bag. She hesitated slightly at the door and stared at Blaze and Shadow.

"Well what are you waiting for? Blaze, Shadow, you're with us. Welcome to Devision X!"

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><p>(Their division is actually Division Ten, but Sonic calls it "X" because it's in roman numerals. New members tend to call the divisions by letters instead of numbers at first.)<p> 


	4. At the Scene

The ride to the scene was boring and tedious. Shadow was silent, Blaze still looked a little shaken up but all in all was very tense, Knuckles was reading the report from Charmy, the lead detective on site from Devision V, and Sonic was twitchy. She kept pulling out one knife, flipping it over, and putting it back. She was on edge, she had a sense of impending doom.

"Will you stop that?" Shadow finally spoke.

Sonic shook her head and stared at him. "Sorry. Nervous habit."

Finally, the van stopped and the doors opened to Charmy. He pulled his goggles off his eyes.

"Sonic, nice of you to finally join us. Tails texted me, said you'd be here." He told her. Sonic nodded, and grabbed her bag. "There still seems to be one person inside. Or at least one thing. Anytime we try to get close, we get shoved back rather violently..."

"What, are you talking Ghostbusters-spirit-type angry shoves?" Sonic asked. Charmy snickered. "Not that nerdy. No, it's more like getting barreled into by a large car, according to my men."

"Knux, you hear that? Can you get passed it?" Sonic called to her red-headed co-worker.

"Yeah. It'll be fine." Knuckles replied.

There was a loud crash suddenly, and one of the cars came flying. It hit another car, and was followed by a second explosion. There went another car and four of Charmy's men.

"Clear the vicinity! We'll handle this!" Sonic ordered. She ducked some flying debris, Blaze charging forward. She slid under the DO NOT CROSS line and just narrowly avoided being trampled by whatever malevolent thing was causing all the carnage. Shadow followed suit, whipping out his pistols from the holsters on his belt and firing at where ever the thing seemed to be.

"Damn!" He cursed out loud, dodging more debris and firing a few more shots. Knuckles was already way in on the action, getting closer to the warehouse. "Sonic! I'm going inside!"

There was no reply, but she knew it was fine. Releasing the blades on one arm, she pulled out her revolver with the other hand and charged in. As she got closer to the door, it busted itself down from the inside, sending her flying back. She yelped loudly. Blaze yelped out loud too and a white haired man in a tench coat walked out. His silver eyes were narrowed in a mocking fashion, a confident smirk on his lips.

"Espio, that's enough carnage for one night."

Blaze was silent, her eyes wide with astonishment and fear. "S-sil-" Sonic, who had joined Shadow's wild shooting, paused to glare at the new piece on the board. "So he's..." She was cut off and sent spinning by the invisible menace. It zoomed past Silver and into the warehouse behind him, causing another explosion in the back end. Half of the old building fell to the floor, a shattering and crashing emanating from inside.

"Good evening. My name is Silver, and tonight, I'm speaking for Rose herself." Silver said, bowing slightly, like a servant to his master. "I hope you all will forgive my friend's lack of manners, he's just a little feisty."

Another round of crashed erupted from the building. "Espio, shush! Anyway, Rose is ready to unleash her grand scheme. I will not tell you when, why, or how, but I will tell you this: We will all die." Silver smirked.

Sonic, with help from Knuckles, regained her bearings and got to a crouching position. Her and her partner pointed their guns at him. "Why the hell do you show yourself here and now?" Knuckles asked, her purple eyes narrowing. Silver smirked. "Oh, you'd love to know, wouldn't you. It will be awhile be for I tell you why we've chosen now of all times to attack, but it's alright. You'll probably figure it out soon enough anyway."

Knuckles shot twice, catching the man off guard. He calmly sidestepped her two shots, before backing up and whistling as she charged him with her blades raised. She was less than a centimeter away from her face when e ducked and something barreled into her, sending her flying with a loud, "OOMPH!"

"KNUCKLES!" Sonic shrieked, Getting up to go run for her friend. Another whistle sounded and she was nocked off her feet, the breath nocked out of her. "Please, don't interrupt me when I'm speaking. I'll tell you if I have time for questions and comments!" Silver scolded, raising his arm at a ninety-degree angle to the floor, much like one would hold a bird. Something large, purple, and chameleon-like materialized on his arm. It looked like a cross between a rhinoceros and a chameleon, with random feathers and mechanical parts sticking out of it. "Before I leave, let me introduce you to Espio: Experiment Seventy: Power Intensive Offense. He specializes in attack and speed. The invisibility is new though, I've never seen it before."

Espio growled and snarled as Blaze advanced forward with her flame thrower in one hand and her Rapier in the other, an angry scowl on her face. "Silver, I don't know what happened to you, but you need to stop this-"

Silver didn't even let her finish before throwing a rose with a letter attached at her feet. "Whatever. We're leaving now." And with that, he turned and sauntered back into the dust clouds, and then was gone.

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><p>I hope you enjoyed these chapters XD I'm pleased with how the characters came out, and as to Silvers OOC-ness, it's explained later. I'm very proud of the cliffhanger as well, I hope you guys won't mind a long wait for the next few chapters... I'll get working on them right away!<p> 


	5. Heading Back

I belted this out at one thirty in the morning cuz I was bored and needed to write. Also, from now on, I think I'll be drawing my own images for the Covers. If you like them, I can give you my deviant art account and you can request something :) (Shameless advertisement)

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><p>Finally, finally, Sonic and Knuckles returned home to their shared apartment. It was near midnight, and neither of them had eaten. The laundry had yet to be folded, the TV had yet to be fixed, the coffee was running low, and the kitchen lights were flickering out. There was water damage to most of the walls and ceilings in the kitchen and bathroom, and the bedroom and the door near it was mainly covered in papers, takeout boxes from pizza and Chinese food and clothes and such. There was a coffee table near the futon couch, but it was splintering on one side. The window had blinds, and they were the best looking things in the house.<p>

Despite how bad the rooms looked, they all radiated comfort. Sonic and Knuckles had been roommates since high school, and even though they got sick of each other at times and had to move once or twice, they both knew together was the best place for them. It was filled with so many memories... There was a closet in the bedroom with a box left in one corner, and inside was only pictures. They were well kept and treasured, like a child treasures their baby blanket.

Sonic took three long strides to the couch slightly left to the center of the room, and flopped down face first. She adjusted herself accordingly and snuggled her cheek into the soft mattress. "I thought you were gonna take the bed tonight."

"Nnn, you can have it." Sonic murmured in reply. "Just grab me a spare pair of clothing and a blanket, and don't give me your bra this time."

"Hey, I told you that was an accident, smart ass!" Knuckles yelped, dropping her bag on the coffee table. "I'm gonna take a shower."

"Whatever. Just leave my jammies on the back of the couch before you go, mmk?" Sonic replied.

"Yeah, sure thing. I'll see you in the morning." Though she got no reply, she knew Sonic heard her and acknowledged what was said with a classic thumbs up. Maybe when she was done, she'd get a pot of coffee brewing. They would probably wake up again.

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><p>Two hours later, Sonic's eyes fluttered open. With a mumble, she tucked her face back into the mattress and snuggled deeper into the warmth of her blankets. <em>So warm... <em>But moving to get warm only got her colder, and now that she was starting to freeze, she was waking up. She rubbed her eyes with one hand and groaned, glancing at the clock. After calculating that it was four hours off, she finally got that it was two in the morning. Annoyance caused her to crease her brow and turn fully on her back, resting her head on her hands. She stared at the ceiling.

_It's odd..._ She thought, _Why Rose is moving now of all times. It's like she knows that my team has pinpointed her. I don't understand it though... What is she planning? How can I stop it? And I get this feeling that what she's doing is meant for me specifically..._

She agitatedly sighed out loud. "What the hell! This is getting me nowhere!"

Using her feet, she flung herself into a sitting position, and then threw her feet over the edge of the couch. With a stumble, she stood and padded over to the kitchen, where a cup of coffee was waiting for her. She took a sip of the cold drink. Even if it was cold and a few hours old, it still was the best coffee ever. She'd never admit it out loud, but Knuckles could make a mean cup of rich, full bodied coffee.

With no regard to other's sleeping habits, Sonic popped the cup in the microwave and closed the door, warming the cup up for herself. After she pulled it out and swished the liquid around, she took a sip, only to spit it back out in surprise. "Well, I see someone woke up."

"Kn-Knuckles, you- Wah! Put on some pants!" Sonic yelped, nearly spilling the coffee in her hands. Knuckles chuckled and walked over, grabbing one of the robes from the couch and wrapping it around herself."Sorry, I forgot some people aren't as fine with their bodies as I am. I also forgot you happen to just be a little kid with a flat chest."

"D-don't flaunt the fact you're three years older than me! Besides, I can fit into your bras!" Sonic argued back, a blush on her face. Knuckles laughed at her and ruffled her hair. "Whatever. What were you thinking about?"

"Hm? Nothing, just that Rose is up to something." Sonic replied, leaning on the counter near the sink. Knuckles moved to pour and warm up a cup of coffee for herself. "Oh, she has? I couldn't tell!"

"Don't be so sarcastic, you asked. Anyway, why _now_, of all times? I just don't get it, does she know we've got her trapped? And why would she have kidnapped Blaze's associate? I mean, she has a pretty successful team already, and that big bloke... Storm, right? He still gets you all hot and bothered."

"Don't phrase it like that, I hate him!" Knuckles yelped. It was Sonic's turn to chuckle. "Right, sorry. I just find your reactions amusing."

"Pfft, brat. Anyway, I get your concerns. I'm curious, too though. But I understand why it's linked to our gang, and you heard Shadow, Blaze fucked up."

"Don't say that. I don't think it was her fault at all." Sonic stared at the cooling cup in her hands, watching her reflection on the surface. "I know you still dislike her, but there's no reason to attack her like that. If there's anyone we should suspect, it's that new guy."

"Why him? It's not like he's gonna be a mole for Rose or anything." Knuckles replied.

"... Well, I just thought... He was such a jerk to everyone, he was screaming, 'don't trust me!' It just came off a little weird to me, and it bothers me how he doesn't seem to want to get close to us... Idunno, maybe I'm having a gut feeling, that's all."

"Yeah, I bet. Don't worry your pretty little head anyway, we'll figure this out later. Now is not the time." Knuckles finished with a yawn. "I'm going back to sleep. You should too."

"Okay then. See you later." Sonic said as Knuckles walked back to the room. She waited a few seconds until the light was off and the creaking of the bed quieted before turning out the lights in the kitchen and walking back to her spot on the couch. She curled back into the comfort of the blankets and tucked her arms and knees to her chest. _I hope... I hope we find Rose soon..._

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><p>"That's right, sleep. Sleep, and wait for me, little one."<p>

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><p>Woah, what? What's this voice? Who's is it? Who is it talking too? WHAT DOES IT MEAN?<p>

So intense, like a double rainbow. Lol, no, it's not that cool. I'll get working on the next chapter, and depending on how well this story is going, I'll get that HTF one up. Hope you enjoyed! (This is actually pretty crappy compared to some of my other, more recent works XD;; I'll fix that?)


	6. The Next Day

I am not kidding, I have been updating all over the place today. My eyes are itchinnggg... It's annoying, so after this, I'm going to catch some Z's. I hope you like the new chapter~

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><p>Sonic woke back up at six thirty exactly to a burning smell and a cursing Knuckles. She glanced over, and quickly jumped to her feet with a yelp at the smoke and fire. "Knucles, what did you do?"<p>

"I'm sorry, god! I was just trying to make toast and the toaster blew up in my face!" Knuckles shouted back. "Where's the fire extinguisher?"

"Shit, let me go get it..." Sonic ran to the door and unlocked both the locks (Knuckles' paranoia led them to getting two) and sprinted down the hall way. She jumped the last five steps and ducked past Vanilla, one of the residents who helped them out allot. She was carrying her and her daughter's pet Chao, cheese. "Oh, good morning, Sonic!"

"Morning Vanilla!" Sonic called, jumping over the railing and then tumbling down the stairs into a wall. She heard Vanilla come after her. "Goodness, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine. I just need-" She broke the glass to the fire extinguisher which set off the alarm. "- To get this back to Knux. Sorry, ma'am, I gotta run, we'll talk later!"

"Oh, wait, Sonic! I have-" But she was already gone. Vanilla sighed, thinking, _What a handful that girl is._

Sonic rushed back up the three stories she had come, bursting through the door. The fire hadn't gotten any worse, but the area around it and Knuckles' arm were completely soaked. "Oh, thank GOD! I tried everything! Patting, water, even-"

"Knux, duck!" Sonic cut her off, taking aim with the fire extinguisher. With a yelp, Knuckles barely got herself covered in a jet of foam and water. The fire slowly spluttered out, reducing their toaster to a hunk of charred metal.

Knuckles groaned. "Great, there goes another paycheck. And now not only are we gonna be late, the fire department is gonna be here any minute and I'm still not dressed-"

There was a nock on the door. "Sonic? Knuckles? There's a fireman here to see you."

The two groaned in unison at Vanilla's voice.

About an hour and a toaster later, Knuckles and Sonic finally got into their work. After passing the security tests and filing a basic tardy slip, they walked the hall to the elevator. They crammed in with the other members of the organization, glancing around to see others they recognized: Scourge and Fiona from Division IV, Manic and Bean from Division II, Sonia from the Science Department, and even... Wait, was that...

"Oh, great. It's him." Sonic muttered, cursing silently. Knuckles chuckled at her friend. "What, he doesn't bite. Hard." The elevator stopped one floor away from the office. Upon exiting, Shadow replied, "I don't bite. At least not yet."

Sonic glared at his retreating form and stuck her tongue out. "Yeah, see if I care when I beat you to the floor for 'biting' me."

"He's your new team mate, right?" Sonia asked, tapping her friend on the shoulder. Sonic turned and smiled. "Yeah. I really dislike him, but we're so close to catching Rose, we need all the help we get."

The elevator dinged for their floor. "Oh. Well, I hope you catch her soon, sis!"

Sonia wasn't biologically related to Sonic. In fact, she was the daughter of one of the higher political figures in the area. Sonic and Manic were just adopted by the figure out of request and pity. Even though they all were trouble makers, their adoptive mother still supported them all with everything she had. One phone call and they'd have enough money and food and clothing to last them their whole lives.

"Yeah, you got it."

They exited the elevator and took a few steps down the hallway to their office, when Jet suddenly barreled into them, spraying paper all over the place. "Oh, you have NO IDEA how great it is to find you guys!"

"Jet, what's up?" Sonic asked, helping him gather the papers on the floor. "It's like, Division X's conference room... And your office... There's this thing... And something else... And then this other accident, and then..." The two left a rambling Jet and ran down the corridor, throwing the door to the conference room open. It looked like a rabid Tasmanian Devil had barreled it's way through, and then an archangel himself had personally dealt with the bastard, and then a klutzy maid that made great lemon pies came in and did everything else but clean. The table was thrown across the room, chairs and desks flipped haphazardly like they were nothing. Papers littered the ground like leaves, and the shades were ripped to less than tatters.

Sonic stared in stunned silence, before spluttering and then shrieking, "WHAT!" at the top of her lungs. People passing by stopped for a moment to stare, to horrified by the mess and the aura radiating off Sonic's body to snicker. "Who. Did. This?"

"Excuse me, coming though! Ow! Sorry, sir!" A small voice peeped. A kid poked her head out of the small crowd, followed by the rest of her small body. "Oh, good morning Sonic. I was just coming back to start getting this cleaned up."

Sonic's aura dissipated, and her face took on a confused look. "Cream? What are you... Does your mom know you're here?"

"Of course! I got the job as a back-up agent awhile ago, and while I've been training and helping out on site, it seems you need a replacement today." Cream replied, picking herself up and dusting off. "Don't you think you're a little young to do field work?"

"No, I don't want to do that. I want to work in the Medical Center with Miss Wave." Cream smiled. Sonic smiled. She had overheard Cream go on and on about Wave for hours while talking to her mom. She idled the woman to no end. Wonder if she knows...

"Oh, hey guys."

Speak of the devil.

"Oh! Good morning, Miss Wave!" Cream chirped, rushing to hug her. Wave chuckled and patted her head. "Hello, Cream. Are you filling in for Tails today?"

"Yup!" Cream cheered. "I'm gonna do my best today!"

"Well then, keep these two on task. Blaze should be here in a few minutes, she called a little while ago. Also, I found this tacked on your office door." Wave said, handing Sonic an envelope. It was written with high-quality ink, no doubt an import. Sonic turned it over in her hands, before handing it to Knuckles to inspect. "Who's it from?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to guess the same people who screwed up your room." Knuckles tore the letter open and unfolded it, scanning over it's words. He face went from composed to completely befuddled. "What does it say?"

"I can't read it. It's like... In another language or something..." She replied. "Wait, but I recognize it a little..."

"Hey, isn't that ancient Babylonian?" Cream asked, pulling Knuckles' arm to her level.

"Now that I look at that, it is! How did you know, Cream?" Wave asked. "We took a short lesson on Babylon Garden in my class a few weeks ago and the ancient language fascinated me." She explained, earning a pat. "Good job!"

"Who know's how to read this?" Sonic asked, scratching her imaginary beard.

"I know a little, and I know Knuckles knows more than I do... Cream might know some but... Oh! Damn, that bastard!" Wave cursed, stomping her foot.

"What's up?"

"The only one who can read that note just left on a coffee run!" Wave exclaimed.

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><p>HMMM, I WONDER WHO THAT IS? Coughgreencough* Don't worry, Blaze and Shadow are coming back next chapter, they're never gone for long XD I like them too much. See you next chapter, which should come sometime in the next two days, give or take.<p> 


	7. Nother Break

Guys, I'm on a roll! This story is just coming out, one chapter after another! I'm kinda surprised, but happy! Here's the new chapter, I plan on getting another uploaded either tonight or tomorrow.

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><p>"No, no, no, no, NO! Why is that bird-brain never here when we need him!" Sonic yelled, ruffling her hair with her hands and pacing. That stupid bastard!<p>

"It would only happen to be a coincidence, I guess..." Wave responded, stacking some papers and placing them back in the cabinets they belonged to. "He's never around when I need to talk to him, or anyone for that matter."

Just then, the bird-brain busted through the door, making a trumpet sound. "Ladies! I present today's batch of coffee!"

Sonic snatched the coffee and placed it to the side, before grabbing Jet's shoulders and shaking as hard as she could. "Jet, where the hell have you been? We need your knowledge, right now! Stupid bird-brain!"

She finally let him go, and he cracked his neck a few times. "Jeez, I didn't know you missed me that much..."

"Jet, this is serious. We're presuming that the person who thrashed both of Division X's rooms left it, and it's in ancient Babylonian. You're the only one who can read it, right?" Wave asked, handing him the letter. He looked at it, before sighing and saying, "Storm could read it better than I could, but I'll try..."

"Woah, wait, did you just say Storm?" Knuckles asked. Jet nodded. "Yeah, Idunno where he is though. He just... Up and left one day, around the time we moved here."

"When was that?" Sonic asked. Something about that didn't seem right... "A few months ago, maybe a year...?"

_That doesn't make any sense... Storm works with Rose... And we were stationed here last month, so how could she... Unless she was here the whole time... _Thoughts swirled around in her head. It wasn't getting any easier to find her, but more and more confusing.

"Sonic? Are you alright?" Wave asked, but Jet butted in with, "You wouldn't happen to know something about him, would you?"

Sonic waved her hand in a dismissive manner. "No, I don't, I'm sorry. Anyway, what can you get from that letter?"

The group turned to a sudden yelp from the door. Shadow and Blaze stood there, equally horrified and pissed of looks. "What the hell did you people do?"

"We came back to it like this. Sorry." Sonic meekly replied. The some of the desks and chairs were still flipped, and there was still paper all over the floor. "Oh my god, you're completely incompetent! Is the weapons stash still here?" Shadow asked, glaring. Knuckles and Sonic yelped, "Oh shit!" and rushed over to the wall near the corner of the room. They pulled the panel, only find their safe in complete ruins. "No, damn it! Damn it, Damn it, Damn it! I swear, I'm gonna slit the throats of all of Rose's goons!"

Knuckles patted her back. "Sorry about the toaster. I guess if I hadn't tried to cook, this wouldn't have happened."

"No, no, it's fine. We'll just... Rebuild the safe, and the stash... And everything else while we're at it." Sonic replied sadly. "So Jet, what did you get from the letter?"

"Um... I can only read parts, but I pieced it together as best I could with Cream and Wave's help... We got, 'I'll be there...' and that's it. The words on the envelope say, 'From three..' But there has to be another letter." Jet explained, placing it on the desk. "Sorry I couldn't help more."

Before he could leave, a small, rectangular pointy thing hit him in the ear. "Ow! Damn, I just got that pierced and... Wait, this is..."

"I found you the second note. Translation please?" Sonic asked, back still to them. Blaze started shuffling papers on the floor with Knuckles, and Shadow stood by the wall. After a few minutes of conversation and reading, Jet finally said, "We got it. 'To four/million, Bring them to the gate.'"

"Bring them all to the gate at three, I'll be there so come and find me." Shadow replied. Everyone stared at him. "How did you get that so quickly?"

"It's simple. Just organize the words until they are grammatically correct. Also, four/millionths of an hour is impossible, so what else could that mean? If it was left on our door, it must mean someone wants us to find them." He said. "Honestly, I expected you to be able to figure that out as well."

"Well, excuse me, mister Smarty-pants! Sorry I didn't make the genius cut!" Sonic snapped, kicking the wall. "I'm going back to the office to check this out. Come back when you're finished cleaning." She snatched the letter on her way out the door and took quick angry strides to her office.

"Nice going, Sherlock." Blaze congratulated. "Ah, fuck you." Shadow snapped back. Wave and Cream noticed it, but Shadow seemed guilty of his actions.

A few hours later, they reported into Sonic's office. She sat at her desk, twirling a pencil in her fingers and staring at the computer monitor. "Took you long enough. I was ready to come get you myself." Shadow bit his tongue to keep from snapping back. "I figured out where the gate is: It's the exit to town, the one that if you take the road to, it leads to that stretch of nothing and then the military base."

"But that takes forty minutes to get there by foot, and that's if you're running. We've only got fifteen." Blaze said, staring at the clock.

"Well, if you speed in a car, we can get there in less than that. Besides, I sent some men to the scene, they're gonna call for both a no-show and if they do show up at all." Sonic stated. "So what are we waiting for? There's a car out front, let's go."

The intercom on her table buzzed, static on the other end. Then the sound of laughing could be heard and a scream. "Shi- Sonic... Get you... ss dow... fast..." There was more static, and then it buzzed and shut off. "You hear that, ladies? Let's go!" Knuckles yelled, pulling on her coat. She placed her revolver into it's pouch on her thigh. Shadow did the same with his pistols, placing one in each holster. Blaze snagged her rapier, and Sonic threw he bag with her twin short swords and combat shotgun over he shoulder. They ran out the door and down the hall, and then down the three flights of stairs and into the car that was already getting ready to leave.

They arrived on the scene just in the nick of time. There were overturned cars and downed men everywhere. Whoever wasn't wounded fatally were helping the injured back to the cars. No fatalities. Yet.

"What happened?" Sonic asked, running over to help a man up. "Oh, god, it was so fast I didn't see. One of car's exploded, and then most of the guys were on the ground. There was a green hared punk and this tall buff guy in grey with him."

Sonic placed him in one of the vans, where another one of the men treated to his injuries. She came back, pointing at the gate. "It was Storm. And if I'm right, Vector was here too."

Blaze gasped, and Knuckles gave Sonic a strange stare. "But I though we took care of him back in the day..."

"Yeah, I guess we didn't-"

"wait, you said Storm... I thought you didn't know anything about that." Blaze asked. Shadow glared. "Blaze, we've kinda been lying to him since he started asking about the guy. It's like, we're not trying to hurt him by saying, 'Oh, yeah, he works with Rose and hates you now!' but instead are letting him down easy by lying. It's a tool of the trade." Sonic explained. "Here, I'll tell you what: After we catch Rose, I promise I'll tell him everything."

Blaze nodded slowly, and shadow scoffed. "We don't have time for this. Get your asses in gear, we're moving."

"Tch, yeah, since when were you the boss?" Sonic muttered, but followed him anyway.

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><p>There you have it! Be on the look out for more chapters soon~<p> 


	8. Holding On

Here's another chapter~ Sorry I was gone and couldn't update yesterday, but this is coming along so steadily I don't think it matters. Without further ado, Chapter Seven!

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><p>The group neared the entrance to one of the early military facilities. It was fenced with barbed wire, to keep people out, but with the way the poor fence was bent so out of shape, whoever went in wanted in extremely badly. Why here, of all places, though? It was basically a run-down warehouse. It's doors were falling off it's hinges, it's windows were shattered. Where there had once been a roof, there was now a pile of wood and scrap metal. The walls were covered in many forms of graffiti: Things about religion, ironic artwork, pin-up girls drawn for entertainment, words, gang symbols, and even random color splotches and white painted walls that were either untouched or were the laborious effort of someone trying to repaint.<p>

To Sonic and her crew at the moment, it didn't matter. If they were there under any other circumstance, Knuckles might have paused to marvel the words, or Blaze might have criticized one of the women. Shadow couldn't have cared less, one way or another. His main priority was-

"Shadow! Watch out!"

There was an explosion overhead as they entered the building. Rubble and shrapnel were sent flying everywhere, blocking the door and effectively splitting the group up.

"Knuckles! Blaze! You guys okay over there?"

"Could be better, but yeah. We'll make it."

"What should we do? We don't have time to regroup. Should we split up?"

"Hey, you're the leader, you call the shots."

"I think this is exactly what they want us to do, but we have no other choice. If there isn't a back entrance, make yourself one. Well meet up behind the building ASAP."

There were some shuffling and grunting sounds from the other side, then a wavering breath and retreating foot steps. "Damn, I'm pathetic. I couldn't even tell who I was talking too." Sonic muttered. "Here, help me up."

Shadow grabbed her wrist and pulled her to her foot, and she yelped, collapsing back to the floor. "You okay?"

"Just a sprained ankle or something, that's all. I can walk with it." Sonic hissed, pulling herself to her feet. "What are we waiting for? We don't have all day, and I'm not getting any younger. Let's go!"

The two started a brisk pace, slow enough not to bother Sonic's ankle, but fast enough to keep up with the others. They traversed the interior of the building with no problem, until they got to a completely blank, whole wall. Shadow's ears perked at a ticking noise, and gasped as it picked up speed.

"Sonic, get down!" Shadow tackled her to the floor and covered her as the wall behind them exploded sending debris flying everywhere. Shadow barked in pain, but held Sonic down until the dust cleared, and then rolled off her so she could get up. "Shadow! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine. I heal quickly." He replied. There was a small pool of blood forming around him. "Are you alright?"

"Of course! Why did you protect me though? I thought you disliked this entire team." She asked, sitting him up to examine the wound. Shrapnel to the left shoulder and rock to the right side. "I still do. But you're the leader, and I'll be damned before I let a leader die."

She smiled, staring at the shard of metal. It was slick with blood and would be harder to get out. "Okay, this might hurt."

"What? What are you-" Shadow yelped and bit his lip, exhaling slowly as she yanked out the shard. "Fuck, it would have been nice if you told me before you went and yanked that out of my back."

"Yeah, well, I thought you knew." She replied. "Don't be such a sarcastic brat after that speech." Shadow replied, glancing away as she took off her jacket and shirt. She replaced her jacket, ripping the shirt apart. "Whatever. I'm gonna use this as a makeshift patch, we'll get you taken care of when we get back."

She bandaged him up pretty quickly and then pulled herself to her feet, dragging him afterwards. Her hand lingered on his subconsciously as she said, "I bet that whoever left this trap is still around her. Let's go."

They moved through the wall, only to get intercepted by a tall, green haired man in a black trench coat. He wore a gold chain around his neck, and headphones as well. He grinned at the two of them, his sharp, red eyes meeting Shadow's.

"I see you picked up a new groupie, eh, Sonic?" He asked, smirking. She pulled her blades from their case and pointed them at him. earning an across-the-face grin. "We killed you."

"Yeah, so?" the man asked, examining his nails. "What, you want me to just lay down and take it? Don't think so, sweet cheeks."

Shadow stared between the two of them, from the man's unamused glare to Sonic's blush-dusted face. How did they know each other? What did she mean, "We killed you?" Did he work for Rose? 'Cuz if he had, Shadow was sure he'd never seen him.

"Sonic, who is this guy?" He asked, tapping her shoulder.

"His name is Vector, he's one of Rose's goons. So why are you still here?" She asked. Vector tapped the back of his neck. "Microchip, honey. Dunno what it's doing, but it's keeping me alive and well. Keeps sending signals to my brain that I'm not dead."

"Then let's cut it out and make sure you stay where you belong." Sonic spat, and charged him. She slashed at his chest twice, before aiming to stab at his face. He slapped her hand aside and grabbed her shoulder, pushing her to the floor. With a roll, they wrestled for one of the blades in her hands. Sonic flipped them over and attempted to stab Vector's throat, but he flipped them over again. She yelped as she hit the floor, one blade flying out of her hand, she other still tight in her grip.

"Why you gotta fight it? Just die."

"No, I won't! I like my head where it is, thank you!"

He finally got hold of the blade and tried to stab at her face. She flinched to the side so he only cut her ear, and then tensed as he pulled the knife back. Vector aimed to stab her face again, grazing her cheek. With a melodramatic sigh, he muttered, "Jeez, woman, just take it like a man. It's not like anyone here needs you."

Three shots rung out, and Vector fell backwards, twitching and gurgling. Two shots to the forehead and one to the heart. "Contradiction. There's a _team_ that needs her. Get your facts straight." Shadow holstered his gun and turned. "Get up, we're leaving."

Sonic stared at Shadow's back, then at Vector's twitching body. "Yeah. Let's get a move on."

She caught the sleeve of his jacket, causing him to turn around, They stared at each other's eyes, as she said, "Shadow, who are you? Where did you come from? What happened to your old division?"

He stared at her and grabbed her hand, turning away. "It's no business of yours."

As they left, Vector sat up and licked the blood away from the side of his lips. With a smirk, he muttered, "That one... Is ruthless. Good choice, Rose."

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><p>And the plot thickens!<p> 


	9. Recuperate

Mmkay, so I'm not gonna talk much, cuz I'm kinda pissed off and said I'd meet up with a friend on Elsword Online, so I'm just gonna say, FOUR CHAPTER UPDATE. Dresses in all red and busts through wall* AWW YEEAAAHH.

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><p>As the two exited the building from a back window that was completely shattered, Shadow drew his gun from his holster and held it, finger on the trigger. "Are you hearing that?" Sonic stopped walking and perked her ears, listening for any out of the ordinary sounds. There was something there, like clanging, and...<p>

With a crash of shattering glass and wood, Knuckles and Storm crashed through the window of the second story. Knuckles grabbed Storm's arm and stepped on his shoulders, using him to cushion her fall. He hit the ground and made a crater, kicking up dust and spitting blood. Knuckles rolled forward ungracefully and skidded to a halt on her side, moaning in pain. "Knux, you okay?"

"I think my arm might be broken... I don't know, it hurts to move." She winced as Sonic sat her up. "Then don't move it! Do you have your gun?"

"I think he nocked it away when I was up stairs. My claws on this hand are broken, too."

"I bet that's how you fucked up your arm." Sonic sighed, and handed her the bag. "Here, use my shot gun. It requires two hands, but I think you can work it."

"Oh, gee, thanks, real caring! Give the two handed weapon to the cripple!" Knuckles yelled, tapping the ground with the blade on the tip of the Combat Shotgun. Sonic grabbed her two blades and took a wide stance, readying her weapons. "Quit complaining, I'll buy you some meds when we get home."

Storm lazily pulled himself to his feet and staggered around to face them. He wiped the blood away from his lips with the back of his hand and glared. "Bitch... 'At really hurt, y'know."

Shadow stared at the man, anger in his eyes. "It was you-"

He cut himself off and fired three times, shooting Storm dead in the chest. He then charged forward with almost superhuman speed and kicked Storm in the chest. Jumping back he shot the man four more times in the head, the wounds on his chest already healing. Storm landed on his back and coughed, splattering blood across the floor. Sonic took that as her queue to charge in and attack. She jumped over Shadow and pinned Storm to the floor using her legs, before slicing two thick lines in an X-shape across Storm's chest. She then stabbed him in the shoulders and proceeded to punch him a few times in the face. He retaliated slowly, but with great force, sending her flying back and rolling across the floor. Shadow followed her with his eyes long enough for her to get up, and then pulled a second gun from another holster and shot double time at the man.

Storm blocked his face and took the bullets to his arms. When Shadow stopped firing to reload his guns, Storm yanked the blades from his shoulders and threw them at high speeds towards Sonic and Knuckles. Knuckles was lucky enough to block the blade with Sonic's gun, but it nocked the weapon out of her hands and tweaked her arm. She collapsed in pain, gouging her ribs on a conveniently placed, very sharp rock. She coughed, hearing a few cracks.

"Sonic!" She wasn't fast enough to dodge and covered her face with her hands, closing her eyes. When the impact never came, she cracked one eye, seeing a shadow over her. Next, she looked up, and was too scared to scream. The blade went straight for Shadow's side, blood spilling from the gaping hole. He staggered on his feet, trying to stay upright and holding the gash in his side. Blood spilled down from his chin and off his leg and hand into a pool beneath his feet, and he collapsed back into Sonic's arms.

"Shit, Shadow! Stay with me, come on..." He didn't reply, his eyes dulling slightly. "No, Shadow, No! Get up, get up!"

Tears were coming to Sonic's eyes. He couldn't be dead, he had to survive, he had to! "Y-you bastard, you can't die... You owe me for that shirt..."

He chuckled weakly, cringing at the pain in his abdomen. "I-I ain't goin' down just yet... Got some shit to handle... I'll pay back that sh-irt... You can... count on th..." His voice faded and his eyes closed, but he was smiling. Sonic freaked and checked for a pulse, sighing in relief at the faint b-bum, b-bum of his pulse. "Keep true to that, or I'll beat your ass in the after life."

Suddenly, a wall of flame erupted from the door and Blaze and Vector tumbled out of it, landing right on top of Storm. Blaze pushed herself to her feet and so did Vector, blocking a quick thrust to his face. Blaze thrusted her blade towards his head a few more times, advancing with deadly quick precision. Vector was totally freaking out, pushed back to the wall, where Blaze stomped on his stomach with her heel. He coughed, blood staining his shirt and collapsed to the floor. Storm stared up at her back, for her jacket was missing and so was her flame thrower, so only her spaghetti strap top showed. Not only that, but her hair was down and cascaded around her shoulders and down her back. It just barely covered a purple, flame-like tattoo across her upper back that flowed down her arm to her elbow. She turned her flaming golden eyes on him, advancing with her sword in her hand.

"I will cut you to ribbons. Where is Rose? Where is my PARTNER?" She asked with a snarl. Storm flinched and stuttered something inaudible. Blaze grabbed his collar and pulled him close to her face. "Where. Is. Rose. Hiding?"

"I-I don'no, Ma'am!" Storm yelped. Blaze hissed angrily and placed the blade at his throat, ready to slit it when something barreled into her. The two tumbled in the dirt, and finally, Jet pinned her to the floor. "Back off!"

"Jet?" Sonic exclaimed, helping Knuckles to her feet. She wheezed pitifully, a bruise forming on her side. An entire team of men lead by Tails and Wave came onto the scene pointing their guns at the two men on the floor. Vector snapped his fingers and whistled, and all hell broke loose. Espio bounded onto the scene, tossing men this way and that, flipping two cars, and barreling his way through the building behind them. Storm and Vector took that as their chance to leave. They scrambled away, climbing on Espio as he parked himself, and then the three sped off.

"Someone, follow them!" Sonic yelled. A group of men nodded, and then rushed to one of the un-flipped cars. Getting in, they sped off after the trio. "Great, now someone, help me! Jet, get your ass over here and treat Shadow!"

Jet pulled away from Blaze without a word and roughly pulled her to her feet. He stepped away and then moved over to Shadow, ushering Wave over. "Wave, get me a stretcher, an antibiotic patch, and three strips of gauze. I'm gonna temporarily patch him up. Sonic, help me get his jacket and shirt off."

Wave and Sonic nodded, and as Wave ran off, she helped Jet unclothe her teammate. Wave came back with what Jet requested, and he pulled her down. "Here, hold him down. On the count of three, I'm gonna yank this out. Ready? One..."

There was a sharp cry as Jet pulled the blade. He grabbed the patch and tore it open with his teeth, placing it down. Shadow squirmed, the wound reopening, causing him to cough violently. "Shadow! Shadow, stay down. Stop moving, okay? Just breathe."

With Sonic's words, he calmed down, resting his arm over his eyes. Jet wrapped his abdomen and shoulder in gauze to account for both wounds just as the stretcher came by. With some help, they got him onto it and into one of the trucks. The rest of Division X loaded into the back after gathering their discarded weapons, all staring off into space sadly.

_Why did this happen? _Sonic thought, sadly. She stared at Knuckles, who was clutching her side and gasping for air, and then down at Shadow, whose bandages were already becoming blood stained. A thin layer of sweat covered his brow and he was panting lightly, gulping or coughing every so often. Blaze wasn't as bad, but she had a minor cut on her cheek and a deeper on on her arm. _This is all my fault. If I hadn't been so careless, if I had been sharper... I could have kept us together. Shadow wouldn't have had to protect me, and we'd have had Rose's goons behind bars... So why couldn't I do anything? Why was I so useless...? Why was I...?_

Tears rolled down her cheeks but she quickly wiped them away before anyone would see. Tonight, she wouldn't go home, but sleep at the hospital with Knuckles and Shadow.


	10. Just a While

Sonic blinked herself into consciousness. She sat up and yawned, stretching her sore back muscles. Multiple cracks and pops could be heard from all up and down her spine and shoulders and she yawned deeply again. She stared down at her two teammates: Knuckles was looking much better, the bruise already healing. She had black eye that was healing as well, and looked peaceful enough in her sleep. Shadow was looking better too, his wounds were closed for the time being and was still running a light temperature.

She sighed, reaching over to take his hand. Why was it his bed she chose to sleep by? The guy was a pessimistic dick who hated her whole team, it wasn't like she really liked him that much... But Then again, he did put his life on the line to save her ass... And he did sustain near-death injuries for her... Maybe she felt like she owed him? Or she wanted to thank him... Maybe she wanted to be the first face he saw when he woke up, and maybe she wanted to take his hand and tell him thank you with a sweet smile. Maybe she wanted-

Sonic shook her head, a light blush covering her face. She didn't want anything like that to happen! It would just be weird, she barely even knew the bastard. Plus, he totally wasn't her type. He was silent, but had a strong aura that radiated pride and...

Stop it, stop it! She though, smacking her head. You shouldn't be thinking about this guy like that. After all, he might have some ties to Rose, he sure acts like it, and Storm and Vector seemed to know him... He's a pretty good actor?

A mumble snapped her from her thoughts and she looked down at Shadow's face as his eyelids fluttered open. "Sonic? Where am I?"

"We dragged you back to the hospital. It took Jet damn near two hours to patch you up, and maybe longer to keep you alive. You've been out for at least a day." Sonic explained, sitting back down.

"And you've been here, all that time?" Shadow asked, staring at her with wide eyes. She nodded. "Damn girl! Go home and take a shower!"

Sonic blushed and slapped his arm. "Well excuse me for caring about you! Maybe next time I'll just let you die!"

"But then how will I pay back that shirt? Maybe... When this is all over... We'll go buy you something cute." Sonic blushed even harder, and was thankful he closed his eyes. "I mean, that shirt you tore up was pretty hidious, grey isn't your color. Maybe pink would look better?"

"You douche!" She exclaimed, socking him in the arm. Shadow grunted, but laughed anyway. "If you take me shopping for a shirt, you but whatever I want you too, got it?"

"I'd hate to be your boyfriend." He smiled, a mocking tone in his voice. In a few seconds, he was asleep again, and she was standing up. She moved over to Knuckles, who chuckled under her breath. "You so like him."

"Wha- No! Where'd you get that?" Sonic exclaimed, then leaned over to whisper with her friend. "Seriously, what the hell! I do not!"

"Then why are you whispering? You wouldn't if you were telling the truth." Knuckles replied, matching her friend's whispering tone.

"Not true! I just... I just don't want to wake him back up, that's all." Sonic said, crossing her arms indignantly. "I'm going out to eat something, I'll come back in a few hours."

"You totally like him."

"Do not!"

She blushed and ran, leaving a snickering Knuckles, and if anyone looked, they would have seen Shadow smirking.

* * *

><p>"Oh, Sonic!" Blaze called out from across the hall. Sonic stopped and looked at her subordinate, smiling. "Hey, Blaze, what's up?"<p>

"You just came from the medical wing, right? Why don't you come and eat with us?"

Sonic rushed across the hallway and met up with Blaze just as Wave did. "Oh, hey, Sonic! We were just going to get some lunch, care to join us?"

"Well, since both of you are asking... And what kind of lady would I be to turn you down?" Sonic asked, mock-cutsying. Wave and Blaze chuckled. "C'mon, let's go."

As they sat down to eat their meals and complain about over pricing, Jet swiftly stomped to their table.

"Don't lie to me, Sonic!" the green-haired man slammed his hands on the table, drawing the attention of multiple people in the cafeteria. "I know who I saw, and I know what you said! That was Storm! Now you better tell me everything you know or I'll... I'll... I'll never buy you coffee again!"

Sonic couldn't help but chuckle. "That's the best you can come up with?"

"I'm sorry, I'm just really pissed off at you right now." Jet snapped back, and plopped in the empty chair, hiding his face with his hands. Wave patted his back, and he glanced her, thanks in his eyes.

"I know you and Storm were close... But that couldn't have been him. He went missing months ago." Wave said. Jet stared at her, searching for any clue that would say she was lying. He sighed. "You don't really believe that, do you?"

"..." She was silent for a second and withdrew her hand. Finally, she replied, "... No. No I don't."

"So tell me, Sonic, what was that about? Is Storm one of Rose's groupies now?"

"I hate to say it, but yes. He attacked us while we were up in Canada a few weeks before we moved here. Really did a number on Knux then too. Idunno what that guy does, but he's super OP." She explained.

"'OP?'" Blaze asked, picking at her salad. "Over Powered. We've been investigating a bit since Silver went missing too. Turns out, Espio is a genetic experiment and Vector's an escaped convict. With Silver being the member kidnapped from here and Storm being a general civillian, Rose has all the intel she needs on this town and it's labs, jails, streets, and this place. I also found out that she has a fifth member, but I... I can't tell who it is-"

"You wouldn't be suspecting anyone, would you?" another voice asked. They turned to see Tails walking over, a tray in her hands. "Tails! Where the hell were you yesterday?"

"Doctor's appointment. They had me stay home for a few days." She replied, placing the tray down in between her boss and Jet. "May I sit here?"

"Go 'head." Jet replied, still moping over Storm.

"Right, I keep forgetting you're anemic AND have asthma. They've been pulling you in allot lately." Sonic replied, taking a bite of her chili dog. Those things were good.

"It's outrageous, I know. I asked, and they said I'd probably be in again next week or something." Tails sighed, shrugging. "Anyway, I pulled up some more files. Turns out, they all have a connection to this place."

"What, all of Rose's goons?" Blaze asked, taking the tablet that was handed to her.

"Yeah. Silver had you, and you two just transfered. Storm, Jet, and Wave are like adoptive siblings or something, so he has these two. Espio was an experiment from the science lab, and Vector was convicted by men from Scourge's division." Tails explained. "Then there's that fifth guy..."

"If what you say is true, then it could be anyone here." Sonic reasoned, then her eyes widened. "No, it would be someone in our division, 'cuz we're in charge of finding her. They'd have to be someone who could come to all of the crime scenes and then- It could be any of us."

There was a sharp intake of breath. "You believe it could even be yourself?" Blaze asked. Tails took on a serious expression.

"I could be doing it without even knowing. It could be you, Tails, Knux or even... Shit, it could even be Shadow..." She reasoned, scratching her chin. "We were suspecting him... Let's keep on our toes, just in case. Tails, good job. I'm gonna head back to the medical wing and explain this to those two when they get up." Sonic said. "Catch y'all later."


	11. Oh Shit

Sonic arrived with some to-go lunch for everyone back in the medical wing to both Shadow and Knuckles awake. "Hey, you're up."

"Yeah, but we aren't aloud to leave just yet." Shadow responded, pulling his nose out of his book. "Yeah, kinda figured."

"So what's up, Sonic?" Knuckles asked, taking the food that was handed to her. "Aw, sweet! Barbecue ribs! This stuff is awesome!" She dug in gratefully, earning a snicker. "Hospital food sucks compared to this!"

Sonic handed Shadow the rest of the bag. "Didn't know what you liked so I grabbed a sandwich. Hope that's cool?" She asked. He nodded curtly. "I'll eat anything."

Sonic stepped away to the chair in the corner by the window that out looked the hall and the room across the way, which had it's blinds closed. There were people passing, too busy or had their hands to full to wave, but they offered a slight tilt of the chin or a smile. Sonic smiled back for a while, before turning to her teammates. "So, I'm sure you'll want to hear this interesting tidbit: We got a bit of a lead on how Rose is getting around."

Knuckles stopped nomming the bone of one of her ribs and licked her lips, staring at her boss. Shadow placed his sandwich down and stared. "What'chu got?" Knuckles asked, staring with curiosity. "Okay, so, Tails found out that all of Rose's goons have a specific know-how of every part of the town: Storm knows the city streets, Espio knows the labs, Silver knows HQ, and Vector knows the prisons. With that, she can get around any where she wants to to get whatever she wants."

"What about that fifth guy?" Knuckles asked. Shadow took a sharp breath. "Dunno, but we suspect that they're part of our group. It could be anyone, even me."

"Y-you say that like you know it's you..." Shadow said, masking the slight stutter pretty well. "Well, yeah, I could be doing it without knowing. I mean, you and Blaze just joined, so you could have ties. Tails is always gone, but she's anemic and has asthma, so she's at the doctors office all the time, but it could be a lie. Me and Knux have had enough run-ins with Rose that she could have tagged either one of us." Sonic explained. "I kinda hate to say this, but I suspect you and myself the most."

Shadow spluttered. "Why would you suspect me?"

"Oh, I have a load of reasons. First, you just seem to randomly disappear and reappear around here, unless you're needed. Second, no one knows where you live, and most of the stuff in your file is left blank. It doesn't even say where you came from or your division before this, hell, it doesn't even say if you're a newbie." Sonic stared.

"You went through my file?" He asked, an angry look crossing his face. "You ungrateful little..."

"Hey, I went through Blaze and Cream's too. You can look through mine any time you want to." Sonic replied, putting her hand up in a, "quiet down," gesture. "Anyway, you also seemed to recognize Storm and Vector, and he recognized you. Plus, there's all these little mannerisms you have when I bring Rose up." she concluded with a glare. "Care to clear your name?"

Shadow was silent as they had a stare off: Shadow's surprised and angry face to her curious glare. Finally, Knuckles sighed and broke the silence. "Ladies, gentlemen, please. You two can stare into each other's eyes later, right now, we have to figure this out."

Sonic blushed, hitting her friend's arm. "Knuckles! I told you I didn't-"

"Do too."

"Do not."

Do too."

"Do not!" Sonic finally yelled. "Whatever, it's not like anyone cares. So, what I was saying was that the last member is part of our team and we need to be on our toes at all times. I'm gonna check on the progress in Jet's lab for why Storm and Silver are all brainwashed and shit... I'll be back later tonight."

She left in a flustered sprint, slamming the door and turning down the hallway, running past the window. Knuckles watched and snickered as she ran back in a hurry, a mess of papers flying behind her. "Wrong way!" She yelled, laughing loudly. Shadow stared at her incredulously, thinking, _These people. How the hell did I get put in this division, anyway?_

* * *

><p>Sonic arrived in Jet's lab to a mess of papers, a scared Wave being interrogated, and three armed and unconscious men. Tables were flipped, bottles and the computer were smashed, there were miscellaneous liquids were splashed all over the floors and walls and was that- Oh god, was that <em>blood<em>?

"Tee hee~ By the time you've found this, it's gonna be late~ Since it is, look to the North Star for guidance~!"

"Wave! What happened here?" Sonic yelled, her stomach still reeling from the bloody note one the wall. What did it mean? Was it Rose? Were her goons here? "Where's Jet?"

"Th-that's just it. He's not..." Wave sniffled sadly and wiped her eyes, waving off the two men interrogating her. "He's not here. We did a test, that HIS blood... And we think..." She collapsed, sobbing into Sonic's open arms. "Please, Sonic! You've gotta save him! First Storm, now Jet! I don't want to see him becoming a mindless fighting machine as well! Save them, please!"

Sonic looked between Wave and the wall, ruffling her friend's magenta-colored hair. This must have been devastating, to have her two adoptive brothers taken away like that... What was Rose getting at? Why was she gathering people? Was she building a... That was it.

"Wave, I'm sorry, but I have to go, right now. I promise though, we'll get Jet and Storm back." She said. "Now listen, I need you to decipher this note, can you do that for me?" Wave nodded, wiping her eyes and smearing her mascara. "Okay, thank you. Go get cleaned up first."

* * *

><p>Sonic and Blaze slammed the door of the room open, causing Knuckles to jump and Shadow to grumble in his sleep. "Guys, we got trouble!"<p>

"God, yeah, you think? Jet's missing!" Knuckles yelped, and Shadow rolled over on his side and glared at the three women. "Yeah, I know, that too. So is Tails, AGAIN, and Rose is building an army!"

"Wha- whu- wut- Whaaa- Whattt- What the hell are you talking about?" Knuckles gaped. Shadow yawned. "It's exactly what it sounds like. She's kidnapping people and brainwashing them or sticking some patch on them or something that keeps them under her control. It's like, here is only the first place. She plans on conquering the world."

Sonic and Blaze glared. "How do you know so much?" The lilac-haired girl snapped, taking a menacing step foreword. "How don't you?" He replied.

"Shadow, Blaze, calm down. The other thing was a note that was left with Jet's blood." Knuckles gaped even more and Shadow twitched. Blaze stared at her boss. "I'm having Wave decipher it in a different lab, but if that much blood was lost, we have to find Jet immediately."

"Where do we look?" Blaze asked. "I'm ready to go at any minute."

"I'm guessing that where we find Jet, we find Storm and Silver. We'll wait for Wave to decipher the note. Everyone, get well fed and a nice nap, and you two: Get ready to move. I'm going to have to pull you out of the hospital tonight." Sonic instructed. The other three in the room sat up completely straight, nodding as the orders were give. "Ladies, gents, prepare for a rough night. Dismissed."

She turned on her heel and left the room, heading back to her office. She grabbed her case from the door and pulled the blades from it, slashing a few times before re-sheathing them. Nothing like a good training session to vent some stress. It was gonna be a long night.


	12. Only Once

Finally, mission time rolled around. Wave nocked politely on the door and opened it, giving a nod to the two occupants. "Knuckles, Shadow, we need you in the conference room."

Knuckles pulled her jacket on over her hoodie and punched her hand. "Yeah. I'm ready. Shadow?"

He snapped his gun holster in place and grabbed the other, tucking both guns in their respective cases. "Let's move."

* * *

><p>They met up with Sonic, Blaze, and Cream in the conference room. Sonic had all three notes tacked on her desk, including a snap shot of the rose from their first encounter. She glared at Shadow as he walked in and he glared back, so she looked away. "So, Wave deciphered the last note. Kindly explain, please?"<p>

"Well, the note said, 'By the time you've found this, it's gonna be late,' which means that they were expecting us to come after them at night. Then, 'Look to the North Star for guidance.' I think that means we're supposed to go north. The only thing north I can think of is the military base." Wave concluded, placing the piece of paper with the other notes. "The second thing we realized was that the rose was facing east. North east. There's a building in that direction, a bunker. We sent some men to the scene with Charmy, but we haven't heard back from them yet."

"Thank you, Wave. You may sit." Sonic nodded. She then returned her gaze to her team. "We're heading out to get them tonight. Make finding and rescuing Jet your top priority. Avoid confrontation, fight if necessary. Dismissed."

As they left, Wave and Cream started to follow, but Sonic stopped them. "You two stay here."

"What? No! Jet and Storm are my brothers! You have to let me come with you!" Wave pleaded, and Cream nodded in agreement.

"No, we can't. Cream is too young for the field, and you're our only medical and technologies officers left on this team. I can't take the risk of loosing either of you." Sonic replied. "Besides, Jet's going to need someone when he gets back."

Wave looked at the floor sadly and nodded. "I'll keep up a live intercom here. Call for back up and ask for directions if you need it. Sonic, you better bring them back!"

"You got it!"

* * *

><p>"Nngh... nn... Ah, where...?" Jet started, blinking himself awake. He stared at the ceiling. It was dark and cracking, with moss and mold growing from the cracks, with a small, white light in the center of it. There was a hard, cold bed on his back and something cold and metal cutting into his ankle. The air was tense and stale, iron drenching the musty smell the moss gave off. He groaned, thinking, <em>What an elaborate prank, Sonic. See if I-<em>

He shot up, yelping. Where the hell were Sonic and Wave? Nothing here smelled familiar, nor looked it. He cringed and gripped his side, staring with wide eyes at the blood on his hand. "Wha-"

He jerked his leg back in an attempt to stand and fell off the bed with a yelp, cringing at the pain in his side and the awkward angle he had twisted his leg at. There was a moist feeling running from his ankle down, and Jet looked back to see someone pouring water on his leg. "Finally awake, I see. You shouldn't jerk yourself around like that, you'll bleed out."

"Who-" Jet asked, staring back at the golden eyes of Silver. The white-haired man grinned and grabbed his arm, roughly yanking him back onto the bed. "What do you need?"

"What?"

"What do you need to patch yourself up?" Silver asked, walking away to lean on the wall by the door. "I'll get you whatever you ask for, but you gotta fix yourself up, got it?"

"Y-yeah... Bring me whatever medical supplies you have." Jet instructed nervously, earning a smirk. "You gotta be specific, or I might forget something."

"Why do you care so much?" Jet snapped back with a worried tone. "You stabbed me in the side, chained me here... Aren't you just gonna kill me?"

"Nah, not after what we went through to keep you alive. We need you, Jet." Silver responded. "Now, give me a list."

"... Well, I guess I'll need a needle and some thread... Dental floss works fine, too. Um... Antibiotics, if you have any, but if not, I'll need some soap and water... And I guess some gauze or a roll of bandages..." Jet requested, worry still in his voice. Whoever these people were... They were intent on keeping him alive, so obviously he meant something... Silver swiftly left the room and Jet alone to his thoughts.

Maybe he could use that to his advantage. If they needed him, they wouldn't even chance killing him... Jet stared down at the hand cuffs that locked him to the bed. The shackle was too tight and dug into his ankle in a way that he couldn't escape from, even if his foot was slick with blood. There was no way he could get out with out picking it...

He glanced around for anything to help him. Nothing. There had to be something... Maybe he had a bobby pin, or a paperclip... That's right! There were some in his coat! But where was that... Right there!

Jet reached for the coat, stretching his fingers. It was just too far away, by a mere few inches. With a groan, he lowered himself to the floor and grabbed the coat, snatching the paperclips from the pockets. Though it took him a few seconds, he picked the lock from the bed and rushed to the door, hiding behind it. He waited. No sound. Slowly, quietly, he eased the door open and stepped out, glancing down both sides of the hallway. There was no one there, thank god. With a relieved sigh, Jet made a break for the exit. He watched the corners, always inspecting for other people or Silver, and then behind him before continuing.

Jet quickly made it down three hallways, before bumping into someone while looking behind him. "And where do you think you're going?"

Jet's eyes widened and there was a bang, and he fell to the floor, clutching his upper arm. Silver kicked him in the stomach, causing him to cough blood, and reopen the wound. Then, he roughly grabbed his throat and hauled him to his feet, before slamming him into a wall with a choking noise and more splattering blood. "You idiot! Listen, I'm not the one calling the shots, but so help me, next time I won't hesitate to kill you. And if I do, we can still call the bluff that you're alive, you piece of shit. Now, shut up, fix yourself, and be a good little boy or I'll rip off your damn arm." Silver hissed, his gold eyes smoldering in rage. He dropped Jet, who slumped against the wall and slid down it, leaving a trail. "Get up."

In fear, he did as he was told, and painfully hobbled back to the room where he was thrown on the floor with a box of medicinal supplies. "Hurry up, we need you here for when Rose gets up. Can't have you bleedin' on the floor, can we?"

Jet gulped at Silver's sneer, and then flinched as the door was slammed. He opened the box and stared: Thread, good. Needle, good. Soap and water, good. Aw shit, this was gonna hurt like hell.

* * *

><p>And there you have it! Four chapters~ Hope you enjoyed~ I feel kinda bad, all my favorite characters have been bullied by this plot... :'( Poor Jet... Maybe he can hover board out of there or something XD<p>

*Goes and plays Elsword*


	13. Massecre

Oh, god, frick, sorry about the long wait. I was jumping around houses and dealing with my family and stuff, and then my com decided to die on me for a bit XD;; Here's the next two chapters, hope you enjoy them~

* * *

><p>Sonic and her team arrived on the scene, and just a moment too late.<p>

There were flipped and flaming cars and dead and wounded men littering the floor. Rubble from a destroyed building pointed to Espio being there at one point, and from the few craters in the ground, Storm was there too.

"S-sonic..."

"Oh my god, Charmy!" Sonic skid along the floor on her knees to her friend, propping him up. Blood dribbled from his mouth, but he looked fine other wise. Maybe just some internal bleeding, it could be treated quickly. "What happened?"

"I-it was... This lady... Um, messy pink hair... Green eyes... She just..." Charmy paused to cough. "Th-that way..."

Sonic and the others looked to where he pointed weakly: A grey, old, bunker, with graffiti all up and down the walls. The ceiling was caving in and the door was falling off, but it was completely dark inside.

Sonic gulped. "R-really?"

Charmy nodded. "O-okay, thanks Charmy. I'm calling for back up, just sit tight."

After a quick talk with Wave, there were men on the scene in minutes. Sonic and her gang took off to the inside of the building, running as fast as they could. Inside though, they weren't prepared for anything.

There was a plane, a few tables and paper all over the floor. It was like a typical abandoned building, but the plane was in new condition. So that was how they got around quickly... Behind the plane, there was something that looked like a throne, build right into the wall. There were multiple wires and TV screens attached to it, and It was covered in ripped and dirty cloths, as well as torn pillows and skull-

Oh, shit, those were HUMAN...

A woman sat in the throne, leaning her elbow and side on one arm rest, and her crossed legs over the other. She had on a large jacket, draping over her shoulders and a black shirt missing it's sleeves. Her jeans were in tatters, so full of holes they were hardly jeans. Her hair was messy, but pink, exactly as Charmy had described, and Sonic gulped as she turned her piercing green eyes on them. With slow and lazy, yet graceful movements, the woman stood, staring down Sonic's team and sizing them up.

"God, this pathetic mess of people is who they send after me? Here I was expecting better people to test, but you will all do." She shrugged with a lazy smirk. "My name is Rose, pleasure to meet you."

"What are you doing here? Where's Jet?" Sonic demanded, pulling her gun and aiming. Shadow placed a hand on her arm and lowered it. "Don't."

"What I'm doing is of no concern to you as of now. I plan on making you a very important pawn later." She smiled, raising her hand. "As to Jet... We'll... Storm! Silver!"

The two men dragged a bloody, limp Jet from a door to the left of the throne. Silver grabbed the man's hair and jerked his head back, revealing that he was breathing shallowly. "Hey, buddy, look who FINALLY CAME!" Silver shouted the last part, his voice echoing around the building. With a scowl, he shoved Jet to the floor.

Sonic glanced over him: Two large lines sliced into his upper back, his arms bent at impossible angles and bound with packing ties. His wrists and one ankle were bloody, and he had a stab wound in his side and a bullet wound in his upper arm. "Jet!"

"What did you do to him?" Blaze hissed, Pulling her blade from it's bag. "What did you do to Silver?"

"Jet's been a handy little poker chip, and has actually helped me gain the King and Queen of this card deck. Sadly, he just won't stop trying to die, Silver almost did slash his arm off last time he tried to escape." Rose smiled, glancing at her white-haired henchman. He sneered. "What? I said I would!"

"Whatever. Here, why don't you deal with this little kitten?" Rose said, pointing at Blaze. Silver grinned and charged her, tackling her side and tumbling into a pile of crates. She pinned him down and tried to stab at his face, but he flipped her over and slammed her back against the crates and then kicked her in the stomach. "Blaze!" Knuckles screamed, getting ready to run after her, when she was barreled aside by Storm.

"Bit 'a payback's in oder, dun'cha think?" He asked, cracking his knuckles. With a punch to the floor. She rolled out of his way, just barely avoiding getting her head pounded to mincemeat. Her claws were quickly unhooked and she charged him, slashing all up his chest and stomach. Sonic was getting ready to charge in and help, but Shadow grabbed her arm and pulled her attention back to Rose.

"Shadow, let me go." She said, jerking her arm. He held fast. "Shadow, let go!"

"No."

"Shadow, this is an order, Release me!" Sonic stated, jerking her arm again. But he squeezed tighter. "Oh, see, he's protecting his Queen... Shame, really, you both could be out helping your friends...: Rose chided, stepping over to Jet and sitting him up. She pulled his hair and leaned his head on her shoulder, pulling a small knife from her back pocket. She held it to his collar bone, lightly carving words in Babylonian into his chest. "Skin's really soft, easy to break."

"Let him go!" Sonic yelled, jerking her arm free and charging a few steps forward. The blade flew to his throat and made a light slit there, Rose's eyes lighting up with glee. "Come and make me!"

Sonic was silent, before pulling her riffle from her back. It was slow, she could hear her heartbeat as she took aim, her finger lightly squeezing the trigger until...

A loud crash sounded. Sonic looked up to see Blaze and Knuckles pinned back to back, both still using their melee weapons. They were panting and a little scraped up, the biggest cut Sonic could see was one over Blaze's eye. Silver had his hands up and was bouncing around on his toes, one blade backwards in his fist. Storm was just standing there, rubbing his mouth like he hand been punched. He was steaming while his body healed all of Knuckles' hits. With a yelp from Shadow, she turned to see him wrestling Vector for his gun, quickly getting disarmed, and then having his hands pinned behind his back. He still struggled, but never lashed out.

"You can't be concerned with everyone but yourself... Come here." Rose beckoned the girl over. When Sonic didn't come, she motioned with her fingers. "Come here!"

Sonic took a few nervous strides over to the criminal. It wasn't like Sonic was gonna trust her, but what choice did she have when Rose held a knife to her friend's throat?

"See that man in black, your King? I want you to kill him."

"Wh-what?"

"If you fight that man and kill him, then I'll let this boy go, hm? A life for a life? Seems fair." Rose smiled, tapping Sonic's cheek lightly with the blade. She let it hesitate on her cheek, before pulling away and leaving a small, shallow cut. "Who's will you take?"

Sonic gulped. She glanced back at Knuckles and Blaze, who were still leaning against each other and catching breath. Silver and Storm had switched places, so obviously they had fought again. She then looked over at Shadow, who was staring at her with a fiery glare, and finally, she stared at Rose. It was a terrible place to be pitted in. A fight to the death, or letting Jet die...

What to do?

* * *

><p>LE GASP<p> 


	14. Red Roses

Sonic stared between Rose and Jet, Knuckles and Blaze, and Shadow. What was she gonna do? She could only save one life, Rose had already demonstrated her insanely fast reaction time, and trying to kill her while fighting Shadow was out of the question because Vector would just kill them both. "I-I'll..."

"Clock's ticking... I might just break this chip out of impatience." Rose mumbled, pressing the blade to the junction of his neck and shoulder. She leaned close to his ear and whispered just loudly enough to hear, "And I get very angry when I'm impatient."

"I-I'll fight!" Sonic yelped.

"What?" Shadow yelled, taking a swing at Vector as he let him go. "Why are you gonna fight me, you know you'll lose!"

"I..." She drew her twin daggers and stepped across from Shadow, pointing one at him. "I don't think you can beat me. I'm faster than you."

"... Sonic. Think about this for a second." Shadow said, putting his hands up. "Think about what you're doing. You're not out of options."

"Shadow, I am your Division Leader. Now, draw your gun and fight me." She stated. He opened his mouth to say something, before she yelled, "IT'S AN ORDER!"

Silence fell. Blaze and Knuckles looked at the scene unfolding, even Silver stopped his jumping at stared. "... Fine."

The stepped in circles, neither willing to move first. Shadow stared Sonic down, and she never met his eyes, staring at his arms and legs. Her blades were down, but she was ready to move at any second.

The tension in the air was so thick, one would have to take a diamond-bladed chain saw to it to cut. Sonic stopped moving, shifting her feet to a wider stance, and Shadow sensed the change in her aura. She wasn't getting ready to attack, she was preparing to block one.

There were clicking sounds and the rustle of clothing as Shadow raised his gun and took aim. There was another long silence, Shadow breathing deeply. His body was trembling lightly, his heart pounding quickly in the suspense. His fingers twitched on the trigger, and for a brief second, the though, "You don't have to only shoot her..." crossed his mind. As if in slow motion, he pulled the trigger, letting the bullet fly. It flew straight, right towards Sonic's forehead.

In a flash, everything was moving at high speeds. She spun out of it's way, and then dodged the next two. With her blades, she blocked to shots and sent them flying off to the side, spinning to dodge the last shot. Shadow wasn't backing up, but she was advancing, her eyes hidden behind her hair and still never making contact with his. Another shot came straight at her face, and she was blocking it, the bullet slitting clean in half and denting her blade.

Rose clapped gleefully. "Ooh! I want to see some blood! Come on, Sonic, fight back!"

Sonic didn't move, but Shadow was the first to charge. He pulled a throwing knife from his belt and slashed at her arm, where she blocked. In a flash, he was across the room and shooting at her again. The clicking that sounded and empty magazine sounded, and he cursed. Sonic's ear twitched, and her body tensed as she charged forward, aiming to stab him. He blocked with his gun, but she just kept slashing and slashing.

Shadow was forced to the defense. He couldn't do anything under her onslaught, and she hadn't lied. She was faster...! He caught one of her swords with his the trigger of his gun and sent it flying away. As she tried to recover, he quickly reloaded his gun, and shot at her, but aimed behind her head at one of the corners of the building.

"Is she trying to kill him?" Blaze whispered. Knuckles nodded. "He knows that, but he's not trying to kill her, everyone can see that.. Though, she didn't lie. She is faster than he is."

"How is that? He has the lighter weapon and seems to be the better fighter..." Blaze said, glancing at Storm and Silver to make sure they stayed in place.

"Don't underestimate her, she isn't a leader for no reason. Though he may be the better fighter with guns, her proficiency with blades is unmatched. And her speed is nearly superhuman. She also knows that he's the heavier one and his wounded, so she's using these to her advantage. He's going to be sluggish in the fight, and they both know." Knuckles reasoned. Blaze wrinkled her nose. "Isn't that unfair?"

"There no such thing as 'unfair' in a fair fight. She just has the upper hand."

Sonic continued her single-bladed onslaught. Shadow was merely dodging now, his gun cast aside and so sliced up that he probably couldn't ever use it again. He didn't want to use the knives, they would be useless against this girl. She was just too fast.

She stepped on his toe and shoved him back. He fell to the floor, staring up at her raised arm and the blade. With a straight face, he sighed and pulled a blade form his shoe. "I'm not going to kill you. I still owe you a shirt."

He threw the blade, letting it fly passed Sonic's hand and to the lamp above Rose. She screamed as it shattered and rained sparks and glass over her and Jet's head. It was a careless move that left Jet with more injuries, but it got her as well. "You... You... Why, I never! And I thought you'd have the chivalry to play by the rules! Such an unruly King!" Rose shrieked at him. Silver and Storm ran to her aid, Vector, running over to Shadow and Sonic. He tried to jump her, but she slammed her upper arm into his neck and kneed his stomach, sending him flying into the throne. It cracked from the impact and he coughed, laying with glassy, dead eyes on the seat.

"My chair! You are a very vicious Queen! That's it, this isn't over! Storm, Silver, grab Vector, let's go!"

"Yes ma'am!" they yelled in unison, Storm hoisting Vector over his broad shoulder and taking off towards the door. Blaze growled, and took a few strides before leaping and tackling Silver to the floor. "You're not going anywhere!"

"Hey! Get off of me!" He yelled, struggling against her. She put him in a headlock with her legs and then bound his hands with hand cuffs before letting him go. "You're coming back with us. We need info."

"I won't say anything to you suckers!" He sneered with a smirk. Knuckles chuckled and cracked her knuckles, glaring down at him. "Yeah? See how much you like MY way of getting shit out of your mouth, you rat."

Sonic still stood, hands by her sides and staring at the ground. Shadow stared at her back for a second after collecting his gun, and then walked over to her. "Sonic."

No response. He tapped her shoulder and she reared around, aiming to punch the daylights out of him. He caught her hand, stopping her, and then brushed her bangs out of her face. "Sonic!"

She blinked, staring up at him. "I-I'm sorry..."

"For what?" He stared at her, meeting her eyes. She never looked away, but threaded her fingers with his.

"... Everything. I'm sorry."

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><p>What could she be appologizing for? They captured Silver, what do they plan to do with him? What's gonna happen with Jet? Will Rose be caught, finally?<p>

I feel really bad. I beat up all my favorite charactersss... ): It's like, Silver: *Spoiler* Knuckles: Hospitalized, Jet: Points to chapter 11. ): I feel like a really bad person... And Jet gets worse later, I think I'm just emotionally and physically killing this guy...

Me: Huggles* It'll be fine, I'll just make a fic where you're all better and winning races and chick's hearts like you should be... Pats head*

Jet: Get the fuck off of me, you obsessive fangirl! Punches in jaw and runs off*


	15. Bring Only Pain

If you want to count that the other two were posted after midnight, this could actually be my third update today :/ I just noticed that. Also, because I am a total sap, I'm sure I'm going to piss some of you off with the slight Sonadow later this chapter :/ Sorry Fea, if you ever read this. :/ - I like this face.

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><p>The door to Silver's cell creaked open, and revealed the silhouette of Knuckles. "We're going."<p>

Silver chuckled. "Where's my kitten?"

"She's waiting for you in the interrogation room." Knuckles replied curtly, stepping towards her prisoner. She jerked him off the floor and let him stagger around to catch his balance, before dragging him along by the arm. "Hey, why can't I see? I'm opening my eyes, what the hell?"

"We blindfolded you while you were asleep, I thought you were gonna bite me or something." Knuckles explained with a chuckle. Silver frowned. "That's not too funny..."

"You sure are being very cooperative with this." Another voice cut in. Silver grinned and turned his head in the direction of the voice. "Hello there, Blaze."

Knuckles forced him into a chair. Something sweet hit his nostrils, it smelled like bread and frosting... "Are these... Doughnuts?"

The blindfold came off and he stared at the plate. It was indeed, a plate of doughnuts, filled with chocolate-chocolate, vanilla and strawberry, and just plain original doughnuts. There were even the holes there to make everything look pretty. Silver's stomach grumbled and he blinked at Knuckles. "_This_ is your version of _torture_?"

" Oh, you're not gonna like it at all." She smirked, popping a doughnut hole in her mouth. "Dig in."

He glanced between her and the plate as Blaze came over and took one, and then took a bite, purring in content. Silver decided that they weren't poisoned, so he went to grab one and-

The jingling of chains rung in his ears. "Wait, what is this..."

"See? I said you'd hate it." Knuckles replied, her smirk widening. "See, we starved you for two days and then brought you out here, where we chained you up in front of a plate of food. But you can't eat it, see? Here, I'll give you one as a treat for being so cooperative in getting here." He tried to close his mouth but she forced it open and gave him a tiny little pastry. He groaned as he swallowed it, craving more of the sweet flavor, his stomach grumbling for food. "I positively loath you."

"Hmhmm, I can tell. Anyway, here's the catch. For everything you tell us that's beneficial, you get a bite. Like, persay, what Rose is planing, why you're acting like this, where she is, etceteras. For everything that you lie about or refuse to say, we get to eat. Session ends when the plate is finished." Knuckles explained. "Now, do you want to eat?"

About an hour later, a content Blaze and Knuckles emerged with a grumbling, pissed off Silver. He wasn't blindfolded this time, but he was still chained. "You two are total bitches."

"Hey, I did say you'd hate it." Knuckles chuckled. "Here, Blaze, take him back. We'll leave him to the prison department for a bit."

"Isn't Scourge's team on watch today?" Blaze asked, blindfolding her former partner.

"Yeah, just ask Mighty or Fiona though, they'll take him." Knuckles said, handing the man over to Blaze. "I need to go report this to Sonic. I'll see you in a bit."

"Kay."

_We've become such good friends... _Knuckles thought as she waved Blaze off._ It was just like yesterday we hated each other's guts... I wonder what happened. _

She shook her head with a smile, concluding, I just gave her a chance.

As she left to go find Sonic she took a wrong turn. Cursing under her breath, she started to turn when she heard voices.

"What are you saying?"

"It's exactly what it sounds like."

That was Shadow's voice... Who was the other person...? Knuckles tiptoed into hearing range, and hid behind a wall. She didn't recognize the second voice for a second, but it sounded familiar...

"Sonic, I'm not joking about this, you were right to suspect me."

So it was Sonic... But what did Shadow mean, "right to suspect...?"

"So you did have ties with Rose? But why didn't you say anything? You're not the spy, are you?"

Knuckles took a quiet but sharp intake of breath. She held it for a few seconds, before exhaling slowly.

"They've been the ones who've covered up all my tracks. I used to be part of her team, but I ran. That's the reason I know so much."

"But you're... Why?"

"I needed intel. Actually, there's a government power higher than your jurisdiction that I work for, and I needed to get into her team and then yours to catch her. She's become Public Enemy Number One. I couldn't risk losing her."

"Shadow, why didn't you tell me any of this?"

"I couldn't put the mission in danger... I couldn't put you in danger."

"I can handle myself."

"I know, but it's what you'd have done once you knew I was worried about."

"Are you saying you don't trust me?"

"No, definitely not! I'm just saying you might not have trusted me."

"... Shadow, I think I'd have preferred you telling me than keeping secrets."

Shadow fell silent, and there was the rustling of clothes and a light step. Knuckles peeked her head around the corner to see Shadow pulling Sonic closer. She covered her mouth and hid again, her eyes wide. _Wait, what is she doing? Is she... She knows this is a bad idea! What the hell, Sonic! What the hell, Shadow! _

Thoughts raced through her mind. This couldn't be right, Sonic knew it was a terrible idea to get in a relationship with a teammate... And Shadow was the person she suspected the most! What would this do to the mission? Rose could use this to her advantage, couldn't she? Wait, what if Sonic was the inside man and Rose was using her to get to Shadow?

_This is NOT good... I should just go out there, and then play it cool... Or... _Knuckles glanced out from her spot, and bolted and ran at what she saw. They were seriously going through with it! What the hell was Sonic thinking?

She wasn't overreacting out of jealousy, but she was freaking out about the mission, and more importantly, her best friend. It was like everything she thought she knew was wrong. She needed to find Blaze, or Wave, or Tails or someone..! She turned a corner and ran smack into Scourge, who stumbled back and fell. "Hey! Watch it- Oh, it's just you, Knuckle Head."

"I-I'm not-! Wait, what are you doing heading this way? I thought you were guarding the prison block." Knuckles asked.

"Yeah, well, there's been a break. It's your stupid white haired idiot, he busted himself the fuck out. I don't even know, man." Scourge sighed, rubbing his head. "I was just heading over to tell you, but you're here now..."

"Great, just great." Knuckles sighed exasperatedly.

"Hey, your other chick seems to know something."

"I'm sorry, who? Blaze?" Knuckles asked, taking her hand away from her face.

"Naw, hell naw. I wouldn't know anything about her, we avoid each other like our lives depend on it." Scourge laughed. "Naw, it's that fortune teller chick you brought in for robbery a few weeks ago. She said she wanted to talk to you."

"... Fine. I'll go check on her now." Knuckles replied, and took off running. "Hey, if you see Sonic, tell her I need to talk to her too!"

Scourge sighed as she turned the corner. "Jesus, what am I? Hermes or some shit?"

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><p>Scourge was easy to write lol. I think I made him talk to similarly to myself though XD;; - I like this face too. Happy Fourth of July~ I should write a oneshot for that later... Or draw a pic... Or both... Slaps self*<p> 


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